by R. Casteel
“I thought you were in the hospital.” She leaned back against his solid thigh. “How did you get here?”
“Bill and Jeanie brought me.”
Very slowly, carefully, she sat up and looked around. The bathroom door was closed. “Where are they?”
“Waiting in the living room, I had to almost manhandle Jeanie to keep her out. I couldn’t hide the blood on the floor. What happened?”
“How long have you been here?”
“Not long. Now answer my question.”
“I need a shower.” Taneika stood on shaky legs and opened the shower door. Why is this time so much worse than before? My insides feel like they had been ripped out.
“There was no blood outside, only inside the house. Now what the hell happened!”
“Taren…” A knock sounded at the door. “Is everything all right in there?”
“Yes, Sis.” He looked from Taneika to the door and ran his hands through his hair, frustration and impatience gnawing at his gut. “If I need you, I’ll holler. Go put on a pot of coffee or something.”
“I can’t explain it.” Taneika turned the water on and stepped under its cleansing spray.
“Can you explain whose blood you are covered in?”
“Oh. That’s easy…it’s mine.” She leaned back against the shower wall and began to slowly unbutton her blouse. The water turned red at her feet before swirling down the drain.
“Yours!” His heart was gripped with terror at the thought of her being injured.
“Calm down.” Taneika raised a hand to stop him from entering the shower. “I’m not hurt. Only tired and hungry.”
She peeled off the blouse and started washing the blood out of it.
“It just happens, that’s all I can tell you.” Unsnapping her jeans, she let them fall around her ankles. She felt too weak to step out of them.
The water swirling at her feet continued to turn red. He reached in and turned the water off.
“Hey.” She reached up to turn the water back on but his touch on her shoulder and arm stopped her.
“My God! You’re bleeding from every pore.”
“That’s why I want the water on.” She wiped her arm clean. “See, it’s almost stopped now. The cold water helps.” In slow motion, she turned the water on. Food, I have to have food.
“This…this has happened before.” Even as he watched, the water flowing off her body became clearer.
“Once when…” Her legs grew weak and she slid down the wall. Taren’s arms were instantly around her.
“What’s wrong?”
“I need food to get my strength back. There’s,” she opened her mouth and let the water quench her ravaging thirst. “…meat…in the fridge.”
Taren closed the door behind him and went to the kitchen.
“Is she okay? Should I check on her? Should we call for an ambulance?” Jeanie’s rapid questions were fired at him.
“Slow down, Sis. Yes, she is going to be all right.” Finding the meat, he headed back to the bathroom.
“What are you doing with that haunch of venison?” Bill asked, puzzled.
“Bill, some things are better left unquestioned. Besides, I’m not sure you would want the answer.” He paused, and turned to them. “You two go over to my place and get some sleep. I’m going to make sure Taneika gets into bed and then keep watch for a while. I’m still not convinced that Fallings has left the area.”
“Taren.” The tone of Bill’s voice stopped him. “Do you know what you are getting into? Might be best to walk away while you can.”
“Too late, Bill.” He turned back towards the bathroom. “I’m already in too deep.”
Taneika was still sitting in the shower. With her head slumped forward, her hair hung around her like a black veil. Taren reached in and turned the water off. Ever so slowly, she raised her head, her hollow gaze intensified with purpose and riveted on the meat he held in his hand. Yet, she made no attempt to reach for it.
Taren realized immediately she was too weak and tore off a chunk of meat, placing it in her mouth. With each piece he fed her, she grew stronger and was soon feeding herself, tearing into the venison as if there were no tomorrow. He had handed her between two and three pounds of meat, and within minutes, it was gone.
“Thanks, Taren.” She stood quickly and turned the shower on, washing away the blood and juices from the meat that had dripped on her breasts and legs. The increased throbbing in his arm was the first indication that he was responding physically to her. A tightening of his trousers was the next.
This was torture, being this close to her and wanting her. But because of what she had said, he was holding back. As if reading his thoughts, she turned toward him and gave him a hot, sultry, I need you inside me pleading grin. Gone were the hollow eyes and lethargic movements.
Stepping out of the shower, she stood in front of Taren, water pooling at her feet.
“What game are you playing, Taneika? A couple days ago, in this very house you sent me away. Now, you’re coming on to me like I was fresh road kill.”
“I’m sorry, but it was necessary. I can’t explain it.” She took Taren’s own words and threw them back into his face. “I guess you will have to trust me.”
Her words chilled his desire. “I’m not some lap dog to come running every time you’re in heat. Go to bed, Taneika. If the itch is that strong, scratch it yourself.”
Taren turned and left the room.
A short while later as he sat the empty but still warm coffee cup on the counter, a wolf howl split the dead quiet of the night. The bathroom door opened and Taneika walked down the hall and into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
His shoulder hurt like hell, his leg burned where the bullet had grazed his thigh. The day was bright and clear, yet his soul was troubled, all gray and dim. Taren poured the last of the coffee from the pot into his cup. All he needed to do was rest his eyes for a few minutes. Taking a couple of aspirins for the pain, he carried the cup into the living room and sat on the couch.
One hell of a mess this turned out to be, Taren ol’ boy. Fallings is missing and Taneika slammed the door on you. All you had to do was keep your mouth shut and you would have been in there with her, instead of on the couch. Next time yo....
His eyes drifted closed.
No Harold, let her go. I promise you a fair trail. If you kill her, you’re a dead man.
You wouldn’t shoot an unarmed man, Taren. Surely not over a piece of ass.
Taren watched helplessly as he pulled Taneika’s arm further behind her back. Her face twisted in agony as Harold increased the pressure.
You think I am going to jail. I would rather die, but first I plan on giving you a little hell on earth to remember me by. Every time you go to sleep in an empty bed, you will remember me. Remember that I sent this little creature from hell back to where she belongs. Go find yourself a real woman Taren…and say good-bye to dear little Taneika.
“No!”
Taren bolted up from the couch and the pain shot through him like an explosion. With his head spinning and feeling nauseous, he stumbled to Taneika’s door. Without bothering to knock, he barged in.
Her bed was empty.
The house was dark. He had slept through the day. Where was Taneika? What about Bill and Jeanie? They should have been here by now.
On the kitchen table, he found the answer to one of his questions.
Taren. I hated to leave but Bill has an emergency back home. Didn’t want to wake you or Taneika, I hope everything can be worked out between you. Take care of the arm.. Love, Sis. P.S. Try to keep from getting any more holes in you.
The back door opened and Taren spun in a crouch, his pistol pointed toward Taneika. His arm dropped and he sucked in large gulps of air. Her face had gone pale in his sights. Shaking with the realization that he could have easily shot her, he holstered his weapon. Thank God, it was only a dream.
“My God, woman! Knock or say something before you come i
n.”
“This is my house. I’ll come and go as I damn well please.”
“It may not be safe to go out. We still aren’t sure of Fallings’ location.”
She carried the hindquarter of a young deer in her left hand. Her left side was heavily covered in blood, probably from carrying the deer over her shoulder.
Visions of them making wild passionate love at the cabin filled his thoughts. “Go get cleaned up and put some clothes on. We need to talk.”
Taneika put the venison on the counter, sliced off a piece of meat and started eating. “So talk.” She said between bites.
“After your shower.”
“I’m hungry.” She sliced off another chunk of meat and bit into it.
Blood ran from the meat down her face and between her breasts. His eyes locked on the scarlet trail as it slowly made its way past her hips to the silky “V” of her legs.
“You want me to fry up a couple steaks?”
“I can fry the steaks while you get cleaned up.” He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take. The longer she stood there naked in front of him, the less resistance he had.
She could feel the frustration in his voice. She was going to push him into going home or taking her, and she was counting on the taking. It didn’t matter where or how. His early morning suggestion that she scratch the itch did nothing but make the hunger for him stronger.
“You seem to have an obsession with my taking a shower. Did watching me shower this morning turn you on? Is that why you keep insisting I get cleaned up? You want to watch?” She walked to the table and stood just across from him. Leaning over, her breast hung within easy reach, inviting his touch. Come on, Taren, fuck me or go home.
The passionate pleading in her eyes to be held and touched, drove Taren beyond reasonable thinking.
His hand darted out to capture her thick black tresses. Pulling her across the table, his lips locked onto hers, grinding and punishing. Her tongue warred with his for domination.
He unsnapped his pants and let them drop to the floor. Impatient hands pulled at his shorts and grasped his hardness. Reaching out, he grabbed her leg and spun her on the table, her hot wetness stopping directly in front of him. Her legs on either side of his, she was spread open, ready. Further invitation wasn’t needed as he drove home into her creamy depths.
The crossing of her legs behind him locked them together in a frenzy of thrusting and pounding of hips. Leaning forward, he took a taut nipple in his mouth. His teeth grazed her skin and she arched her back, lifting his feet off the floor.
In a screech and splintering of wood, the table leg collapsed under their combined weight.
Taneika ended up on top of Taren. Her mouth again sought his as his hands held her breasts in a firm grip. As his fingers squeezed her nipples, electric impulses were sent out, stimulating her already overloaded senses. With each thrust into her, she was drawn further toward the threshold. The blood roared in her ears as her heart felt ready to burst. His face blurred before her.
Taren’s body stiffened and she felt the essence of his power fill her, his hot explosion triggering her own shattering release. Waves of ecstasy shook Taneika and her human cry of passion fulfilled, turned wild and unrestrained.
She lay on his chest gulping air. The tremor she felt filled her with alarm. Relaxing her muscles that held him captive inside her, she got up and hurried to the bathroom.
No! Not again!
“Taneika. What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.” What’s happening to me?
Even as he heard the words, her backside was turning a brilliant crimson hue.
He tried to get up and stumbled. Kicking off the pants that were bunched around his feet, he ran to the bathroom and flung open the shower door.
She stood under the full spray, letting the water wash away the blood that oozed from every pore. Eyes wide with fear, she stared at her arms.
“Taneika, what can I do? Tell me how can I help?”
She looked up at him, her eyes large, the pupils dilated ‘til there was almost no brown.
“Why is this happening to me?”
This is your fault. You caused this. If you had controlled yourself, she wouldn’t be bleeding again. Guilt flooded over him before sound reasoning took over. Couldn’t be my fault, she provoked me.
“Hold me, please.”
Her voice was a whimper, pleading like a child frightened awake by a bad dream. Only, this was no nightmare, it was real and he felt at a loss as how to help.
Taren stepped into the shower and wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m scared, Taren.” She cried against the fabric of his shirt. “I’m losing control.”
She grew heavy in his arms. Taren carried her to the kitchen and sat her on the counter. “Here, eat.” Thrusting the raw, bloody meat into her hands, he waited ‘til she had gotten her strength back.
Picking up the phone, he dialed a number he knew by heart…
”Hello, Sis…No, I’m fine. It’s Taneika. She had another relapse of what happened this morning. I want to bring her up there and have you to look her over…I can’t do that, Sis. She can’t afford the questions that would be raised if I took her to a doctor here…You’re the only one I can trust…I’ll be there in the morning. Bye.”
Chapter 15
“Have you ever had blood drawn?” Jeanie wiped her arm with a cotton swab.
“No.”
“I’m just going to draw a small vial of blood and do a type check on you.”
Taneika sat on the exam table. She was beginning to have second thoughts about the whole process of this check-up. The blood flowing into the syringe could bring the answers to her most inner thought questions, but it could also be the beginning of what her adopted father had warned her about. Now that she had time to think about it, she wished she hadn’t agreed to have Jeanie do all these tests.
The last time hadn’t been as bad even though she had started bleeding.
“Jeanie, are you sure the blood test is necessary?” Taneika watched as she pulled the needle out.
“I can’t find anything that can tell me why this is happening to you. I want to take an x-ray and have this blood sent off. Don’t worry, after what Taren told me about you, I’m not going to make a file or folder on you. We do need to try to find out what is causing this, but more important is to see if your physical health is endangered.” Jeanie paused, as if trying to find the right word.
“You said this last time, while you and Taren where having sex, the pain wasn’t as sharp and it took you by surprise?”
“Yes.”
“I won’t be but a moment. Sit here and try to relax.”
She tried to, but the apprehension continued to eat away at her. After finding the wondrous joy of sex, was she destined to go the rest of her life without it? Taren had been so concerned and understanding. What would he do if this were to be a normal reaction after every time they mated? Somehow, her life had taken a path that she wasn’t sure she wanted to travel, but she saw no way of avoiding it.
The clock on the wall continued to tick off the minutes.
“Sorry it took so long.”
Taneika turned toward the sound of Jeanie’s voice and was ready to speak when the troubled look on her face stopped her.
“I…I was unable to type check your blood.”
“Why’s that?” She saw the confused look on Jeanie’s face.
“When I did yours, it showed it was type O, but when I did a reverse check it showed it was type AB. It’s not the test procedures. I drew some of my blood and the test results were normal.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I don’t either, ‘cause medically it’s not possible. O blood types are considered universal donors while type AB is considered universal recipients. If the test is correct, I’m guessing you are both.”
“Could that cause my skin to bleed?”
“I don’t think so. Taneika, I’m a nurse practitio
ner. It would require a complete lab to give a detailed analysis and I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Why not?”
“Assuming I’m correct, the scientific world wouldn’t rest ‘til it found out everything about you. Your life would be a living nightmare from then on. I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t curious as hell about it myself. If I had the ability, I’d run the lab tests here.”
“So where does that leave us?”
“There are some basic tests that I can run. First let’s get some vitals and a chest x-ray. That will give me a starting point.”
Jeanie went out to the waiting room. She smiled. Taren was pacing the small room like an expectant father.
“Taren, I’m going to run a stress test on Taneika. She says she gets hungry afterward.”
“Hungry isn’t the word that describes her appetite. Are you sure this test is safe?”
“Safer with me than a lab somewhere else. Brother, the fewer people that knows about this…the better.”
“I’m aware of that, Sis. She had two episodes yesterday. Maybe we should wait a day or two.”
“I promise that I will take care of her. She wants to know what is going on. Taren, she’s scared.”
“Can you help her?”
“Maybe, if what is happening to her can be controlled, I can help her find out how.
“I need you to get enough meat for her. I have to see the reaction she is having myself. I want to take a series of x-rays. Maybe I can find some answers between them and her vital signs.”
“Okay. I’ll be back in a few minutes. I think I better be there when you run those tests.”
“When you get back, lock the door.”
Taren wished he had fresher meat than what the store had in stock. Something with a little more blood in it. Carrying his large grocery bag through the door, he turned and flipped the dead bolt.
“Taren, we’re in the back room. Come on back, we’re ready to begin.”
He walked through the door and Taneika stood naked on a treadmill with wires attached to electrodes on her chest. Several monitors were on and a tube ran from her mouth to one of them.
“I’ve hooked up about everything we have onto her. It won’t be an accurate study but any information we get may be helpful.”